Yarn holder and cutters



July 19, 1955 c. w. MINTON 2,713,254

' YARN HOLDER AND CUTTERS Filed Feb. 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR CLARENCE H. Ml/WUN July 19, 1955 c. w. MINTON YARN HOLDER AND CUTTERS IN VEN T 0/? CLARENCE n. MINTD/V A TTO/F/VEV 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 12, 1953 United States Patent 9 ARM LGl-LDER ANT) CUTTERS Qlarence Webb Minton, Nashville, Tenn.

Applieatien February 12, 1953, Serial No. 336,551

'7 (Ilaims. (Cl. 66-145} This invention relates to knitting and more particularly to the knitting of hose on circular knitting machines of the multi-feed type having upright needle cylinders with grooves or slots disposed lengthwise of the same in which the needles operate.

In knitting stockings with circular knitting machines, waste of yarn and loss of time has occurred because of the failure to properly hold the yarn and cut the same, prior machines having employed scissor type shear blades which have not always satisfactorily cut the yarn.

It is an object of the invention to provide a yarn holder and rotary cutter of simple, durable and inexpensive construction which will operate efficiently without atten: tion. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary yarn cutter for circular knitting machines which will perform the cutting operation whenever a thread is in a position to be cut, thus el minating waste caused by failing to sever the yarn at the proper time while the machine continues to operate; as often happens with on er types of cutters.

within which is located a cutting disc for severing yarn entering such slots.

With continued reference to the drawings, a conventional circular knitting machine is disclosed,'having a needle cylinder 10, employing needles 11 having feed stations 12 and 13 for the yarn with thread feeding levers or arms 14 and 15 located one on each side of the cylinder. The thread holding and cutting mechanism of the present invention comprises an arm or bracket 16 with a lateral projection 17 provided with an aperture 18 for receiving a pivot 19 carried by a frame .20 of the machine. The arm can therefore be swung from a horizontal to an upright position, the frame having a ledge 21 against which the lateral projection rests when the arm is in an upright position. One or more bolts 22 may be employed for fastening the arm in fixed horizontal position. At its opposite end the arm is provided with a threaded opening 23 for the reception of an externally threaded cylinder 24 which houses a shaft 25 for the rotary cutter 26 secured to the end of the shaft by a screw or other fastening element 27 threaded into the end of the shaft. The cylinder is locked in position in the arm 16 by means of a lock nut 28. If desired, additional means may be employed for locking the cylinder to the arm, namely a set screw 29.

The cutter shaft 25 is mounted in bearings 30 and i this shaft is provided with a threaded opening 31 for the reception of the externally threaded end 32 of a flexible cable 33. The threaded end of the flexible cable and the cutter shaft are secured in fixed relation by means of a lock nut 34. In order to provide a support for the cable, a ferrule or fitting 35 is provided Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Pig. 1 is a perspective on a reduced scale illustrating one application of the present invention;

Fig. 2, an enlarged detail of the manner of driving the rotary cutter from the main driving pulley of the knitting machine;

Fig. 3, a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, illustrating a ball bearing mounting for the rotary cutter driving pulley;

Fig. 4, a side elevation of the guiding plate located above the circular needle cylinder and with which the thread guiding means and the rotary cutter are associated;

Pig. 5, a top plan view of the thread guiding and cutting attachment and a needle cylinder with the thread holding members in full lines and the rotary cutter beneath the plate in phantom lines;

Fig. 6, a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5, disclosing the relation of the thread holding and cutting mechanism to the needle cylinder, the needles and the thread feeding mechanism;

Fig. 7, a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5 turned at right angles to that of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8, a fragmentary detail of the specific thread gripping holding mechanism.

Briefly stated, the present invention is applicable to a knitting machine having a conventional needle cylinder using conventional needles and with thread feeding stations to which thread is supplied by a plurality of thread feeders including feed levers and thread holding mechanism, not shown.

The invention comprises a guiding plate mounted above the needle cylinder and having slots curving inwardly from the rim or circumference to a depression having a longitudinal bore 36 in which the flexible cable is received with an annular flange providing a shoulder on its rear side against which the internal flange 37 of ti e nut engages, such nut having internal threads 38 which engage external threads 39 on a reduced portion 40 of the cylinder or sleeve 24. Thus the flexible cable rotates within the bore of the fitting and causes rotation of the shaft 25 on the lower end of which the cutter is mounted. The flexible cable in turn is driven by means of a pulley 41', fastened by a screw 42 in its opposite end. Such pulley being mounted in suitable bearings 41 held by a clamp 42' so that the pulley is in engagement with the main pulley 41" of the knitting machine.

The rotary cutter 26 is located beneath a guide-plate 53 shown in elevation in Fig. 4, both the guide plate and rotary cutter being fixed relative to the cylinder 10 of the knitting machine and above the same. The guideplate is provided with a recess 44 in its lower side in which recess the rotary cutter is located. Also it is provided with curved slots 45 which taper inwardly from the rim or circumference of the plate to a position in proximity to the cutter blade. One or more slots 45' of a similar nature may be provided for use when the operation of the cylinder is reversed. The slots also decrease in width as they extend inwardly from the circumference toward the blade. Such slots are located in diametrically opposed relation for guiding the yarn from the respective feeding stations into contact with the rotary cutting blade, where the yarn is severed. The guide plate is provided with raised guide tips 43' at the entrance to the slots to insure entry of the yarn into the slots.

1 being provided with rearwardly directed teeth 46' each pair of arms being mounted on a single pivot 48 attached to the fiat side of the lower portion of the sleeve 24.

Each set or pair of gripping arms is associated with a slot 45 to engage and hold the thread or yarn entering the slot. The yarn gripping arms are urged downwardly by coil springs 50 confined between the sameand a plate or bracket 51 attached to the sleeve 24.; A guide rod 52 is located in each spring, its lower end seating in a depression 53in the respective arm, and its upper end.

knitting machine to which it is appliedwill be apparent from the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The guiding operation .will be performed when the 'cutting of the thread is desired, as can readily be discerned-from the disclosure of Fig. 5.

During knitting a cam or other mechanism having been set to terminate the use of a certain yarn, such yarn is carried beneath the gripping arms and into the respective slot from the circumference toward the center against the rotary cutter where it is severed. In like manner, upon reversal of the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder, the oppositely directed slot will accommodate a thread from a feed mechanism on the opposite side of the machine.

What is claimed is: a l. A yarn-holding and cutting device comprising a supporting arm, means for pivotally attaching one end of said arm to a knitting machine, a sleeve disposed v transversely on the other end of said arm, a guide-plate attached to the lower end of said sleeve and having a circular depression in its lower face and oppositely disposed yarn-guiding slots curving from the circumference thereof inwardly into said depression, the said plate having portions at the sides of said slots extended and raised to provide tips for guiding yarn into said slots, a shaft rotatably mounted in. said sleeve, a rotary cutting disk mounted. in said depression on one end of said shaft and with one face in close proximity to the adjacent face of said plate, and a flexible cable connected to said shaft and having a pulley on its opposite end for engaging a rotary part of a knitting machine for driving said pulley and said rotary cutting disk through said flexible shaft. I

2.- A yarn-holding and cutting device comprising a supporting arm, means for pivotally attaching one end of said arm to a knitting machine, a sleeve disposed transversely on the other end of said arm, a guide-plate attached to the lower end of said sleeve and having a circular depression in its lower face and oppositely disposed yarn-guiding slots curving from the circumference thereof inwardly into said depression, the said plate having portions at the sides of said slots extended and raised to provide tips for guiding yarn into said slots, and a rotary cutting disk mounted in said depression.

3. A yarn-holding and cutting device comprising a I guide-plate, means for mounting said guide'plate above the needle cylinder of a knitting machine, said guide plate the needle cylinder of a knitting machine, said guide having a circular depression in its face and oppositely disposed yarn guiding slots curving from the circumference thereof to said depression, and a circular cutting disk in said depression for cutting yarn travelling in said slots against said cutting disk.

4. A yarn-holding and cutting device comprising a guide-plate, means for mounting said guide plate above 2 plate having a circular depression in its face and oppositely disposed yarn guiding slots curving from the circumference thereof to said depression, and a circular cutting disk in said depression for cutting yarn travelling into said slots against said cutting disk, said plate having portions at the sides of said slots extended and raised ting machine, a rotary cutter mounted with one face to provide tips for guiding yarn into said slots.

5. A yarn gripping and cutting device comprising a plate adapted to be fixed above the cylinder of the knitin close proximity to one face of said plate, means for rotating-said cutter relative to said plate, a plurality of curved slots in said plate for guiding yarn to be cut into engagement with said rotary cutter, thread engaging and a holding means comprising parallel arms, one having a smooth lower surface and the lower surface of the other having a set of rearwardly disposed teeth, said arms being located adjacent said curved slots, and means for resiliently urging said arms into thread engaging position.

6. The combination with a knitting machine including I a needle cylinder and guiding means for yarn supplied to said needles of a yarn-gripping and cutting device comprising a mounting arm, means for pivotally attaching one end of said arm to said knitting machine, a guide-plate attached to the'other end of said arm and having a circular depression in its lower face, oppositely disposed curved yarn-guiding slots connecting the circumference of said guide-plate with said depression, said plate being extended and raised at the side of said slots providing tips for guiding yarn into said slots and a cutting device comprising a guide-plate for attachment rotary cutting disk mounted in said depression.

7. The combination with the needle cylinder of a knitting machine and feeding means for supplying yarn to the needles of said cylinder, of a yarn-gripping and adjacentsaid needle cylinder and having oppositely disposed yarn-guiding slots therein with portions for guiding yarn into said slots, a rotary cutter mounted transversely of the axis of said needle cylinder in close proximity to said slots whereby yarn travelling in said. slots will be cut.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,127,767 Houseman Feb. 9, 1915 1,356,060 Fisher Oct. 19, 1920 1,945,971 Gagne Feb.. 6, 1934 2,059,076 Aaronson Oct. 27, 1936 2,527,069 Palmer Oct. 24, 1950 2,580,513 Brown Jan. 1, 1952 FOREIGN'PATENTS -Germany Oct. 16, 1939 

